Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy touted a new generation of trains as part of Donald Trump’s “vision” Wednesday—leaving out a key fact: They weren’t.
The former reality star was at Washington D.C.’s Union Station to take an inaugural journey on one of public railroad Amtrak’s new high-speed trains, to New York’s Penn Station.
He touted the new NextGen Acela 160mph high-speed trains on X, as “part of @POTUS’ vision to Make Travel Great again.”
In fact, the trains were first ordered by none other than President Donald Trump’s nemesis: former President Barack Obama. And Duffy had voted against the bill which set their production in motion.
Announcing the NextGen Acela! These are brand new beautiful trains delivered by @USDOT and @Amtrak will:-increase reliability -lower ticket costs -improve Amtrak profitabilityThis is all part of @POTUS’ vision to Make Travel Great again 🚄 pic.twitter.com/fdKYadooxM
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) August 27, 2025
“[The trains are] a better experience for the American public,” Duffy said Wednesday. “And again, that’s what we do — we serve the American people with great experiences and that’s what this is about today.”
Duffy’s deputy, Steve Bradbury, also praised the president and secretary for doing “what they do best — making big, beautiful projects come to life.”
In reality, the $2.4 billion investment into next-generation trains and related infrastructure was initiated by Obama in August 2016, according to a press release from the company at the time.
The 28 trains were ordered with money allocated by Obama’s 2015 $305 billion FAST Act—which congressional records show Duffy, then a Republican congressman for Wisconsin, had voted against. The act allowed for Amtrak, the publicly owned long-distance train operator, to order new Acela trains. Their design, building, production and testing has taken almost a decade.
A new joint press release from the Department of Transportation and Amtrak, published Wednesday, quietly acknowledges at the very bottom that the program to replace the original Acela Express trains began “over a decade ago.”
Even Amtrak itself skirted giving the Trump administration full credit.
We’re making Union Station beautiful again!Thanks to @POTUS, @SecDuffy is securing Union Station as a world class transit hub by delivering long overdue repairs, restoring safety, and revitalizing rail service. pic.twitter.com/HH6tBRS48x
— U.S. Department of Transportation (@USDOT) August 27, 2025
“We are grateful for Secretary Duffy and Deputy Secretary Bradbury’s support on the project, and for helping it get over the finish line so Northeast Corridor residents and visitors can enjoy a whole new way to travel,” said Amtrak board chair Tony Coscia.
The train’s route, from D.C. to Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, is also benefiting from legislation Trump opposed. Biden’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocated $66 billion to rail — the largest investment in Amtrak since it began receiving federal funding over 50 years ago.
Of that, $22 billion went directly to Amtrak to repair crumbling infrastructure, replace aging assets, and fund capital projects like the new Acela trainsets.
At the time, Trump tried to derail the legislation after repeatedly failing to pass an infrastructure bill of his own during his first term.
He even publicly threatened Republican lawmakers for supporting Biden’s deal, warning in a statement: “Republican voters will never forget their name, nor will the people of our Country,” Politico reported.
However the legislation passed and Duffy has now joined the wave of Republicans taking credit for the fruits of the infrastructure bill they opposed.
Just last week, MAGA Rep. Nancy Mace bragged about helping secure the largest infrastructure grant in South Carolina’s history, despite voting against the very legislation that made those funds available.
Unboxing the future of rail. See you soon! 🚄 pic.twitter.com/04RHiXNI79
— Amtrak (@Amtrak) August 26, 2025
Duffy’s ride on Obama’s coattails came with another announcement: that his department would reclaim management of D.C.’s Union Station as part of the administration’s broader efforts to tighten federal control over the capital.
The controversial federal takeover of D.C. has included deploying National Guard soldiers to patrol the streets, assisting police in tackling crime, and picking up trash.
“Instead of being a point of pride, Washington’s Union Station has fallen into disrepair,” Duffy said. “By reclaiming station management, we will help make this city safe and beautiful at a fraction of the cost.”
Since Trump returned to office, Amtrak has been subject to funding cuts and the abrupt resignation of Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, reportedly at the request of the White House.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Amtrak and the Department of Transportation for comment.
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